Texas Measles Outbreak Worsens, Expected to Last for Months

• Mar 21, 2025

The measles outbreak in West Texas continues to spread two months after it began, with health officials warning that it may last for several more months. The number of cases is expected to be higher than reported, and experts say controlling the virus will be difficult, especially in rural areas. However, the outbreak has also led to an increase in vaccinations in Texas and New Mexico, though officials say the numbers are still not high enough.

As of Friday, Texas had reported 309 measles cases and one death, while New Mexico had 42 cases and another death. A total of 42 people have been hospitalized across the two states. The outbreak has mainly affected undervaccinated Mennonite communities in Texas, and experts say it could last up to a year based on past outbreaks in similar communities.

Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock’s public health department, explained that controlling the outbreak will be a challenge. “It being so rural, now multistate, it's just going to take a lot more boots on the ground, a lot more work to get things under control,” she said.

Measles Spreads Easily and Can Linger in the Air

The outbreak has been reported in 14 Texas counties, two counties in New Mexico, and four probable cases in Oklahoma. Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, warned that measles is highly contagious, spreads before symptoms appear, and can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room.

“Within this community, it’d be perfectly reasonable to think probably another couple of months before things die out,” Lessler said. “But if it gets into another community, you just potentially start that clock over again.”

If the outbreak continues until January 2026, it could end the U.S.'s measles elimination status, which requires 12 months without local virus transmission, said Dr. William Moss of Johns Hopkins University.

Vaccination Rates Increase but Remain Low in Key Areas

The outbreak has led to increased demand for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In New Mexico, 11,600 doses were administered between February and March this year, compared to 6,500 in the same period last year. In Texas, at least 173,000 measles vaccines were given from January to mid-March, up from 158,000 last year.

However, vaccination rates in outbreak areas remain low. In Gaines County, Texas, the childhood vaccination rate is just 82%, far below the 95% needed to prevent widespread outbreaks.

“The uptake for vaccines has definitely been a struggle,” Wells admitted.

Some pharmacies in affected areas have stocked extra MMR doses, but demand remains lower than needed. Pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS report an increase in vaccinations nationwide, especially in outbreak areas.

Health officials stress that improving vaccination rates is the best way to control the outbreak and prevent future cases. However, misinformation about vaccines, including statements from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has complicated efforts to increase uptake.